My Why: A Club Growth Director’s introspection

By Bett Bollhoefer

I joined Toastmasters because I was a shy software engineer. I found a supportive community where I could learn to speak. But I stayed because of the leadership skills, organizational skills, and other skills that I’ve learned. I became the president of my club, then an Area Director, Division Director and now I am the Club Growth Director for D57. Toastmasters is a great way to round out the technical skill set I already had because I took advantage of the opportunities.

As Club Growth Director, I am learning and applying skills around marketing, sales, and leading a large organization. It is fascinating! I would never have guessed the things I’ve experienced. For example, last year we experimented running a district wide open house promotion. We learned all about how LinkedIn Ads work! I am looking forward to continuing the learning journey in the next few years.

I encourage you to look at District leadership roles. We have so many chair positions that give lots of exciting learning opportunities. Please reach out to your Area director, division Director, one of the chairs, and the Trio to ask about the opportunities we have in the next term. We have such a wide range of experiences as marketing, sales, logistics management, finance, and even conference organization!

I love my Toastmasters learning journey and because of the skills and confidence I’ve received I am working my dream job as a Product Manager in building the Industrial Internet. Where has your toastmaster journey brought you? Where will it lead you next?

Bett Bollhoefer is the Club Growth Director for District 57 in 2018-2019. She has been nominated to be the Program Quality Director in 2019-2020.

[This article has been reproduced with permission from the April issue of Warehouse Toastmasters newsletter]